Mendes, whose District 4 spans southern and southwestern Fresno County, is being replaced by Margaret Mims. The former Fresno County Sheriff spent 42 years<\/a> in law enforcement and was elected to the board during the June primary.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi and Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco are vying on the November ballot to succeed Brian Pacheco in District 1, which covers northwest Fresno County including portions of west and northwest Fresno. And no, Brian and Maria Pacheco are not related.<\/p>\n Neither Karbassi, nor Maria Pacheco, is a farmer. Karbassi is a small business owner, while Maria Pacheco was a social worker who currently works as a political staffer.<\/p>\n And since current District 5 Supervisor Nathan Magsig is a heavy favorite to win election to the California State Senate, a third vacancy on the board is a strong possibility. But none of the declared candidates likely to replace Magsig in a 2027 special election \u2013 including Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua, Clovis Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce or Fresno County Board of Education Trustee Allen Clyde \u2013 work in farming, either.<\/p>\n This political changing of the guard represents the end of an era for the local ag industry.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a big loss,\u201d said Mendes, who farms almonds, pistachios, cotton and corn near Lanare. \u201cIt’s not so much political power. It’s to have somebody on the board that really understands what [farmers] do.\u201d<\/p>\n Brian Pacheco, a dairy farmer whose operation outside Kerman includes 1,500 milk cows and the crops to feed them, called the loss of first-hand ag experience among county electeds \u201cvery concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe always say we want to diversify our economy, we want to diversify our industries, but ag is still the heartbeat,\u201d he added. \u201cIt’s the engine that makes everything else run.\u201d<\/p>\n SF Event Photo<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Courtesy of SF Event Photo<\/p>\n Fresno County Supervisor and State Assembly candidate Brian Pacheco offers hay to one of the 1,500 milk cows on his dairy operation outside Kerman.<\/p>\n Fresno farm production still strong<\/p>\n In 2025, Fresno County regained its standing as the nation\u2019s top agriculture producing county and also became the first to surpass $9 billion in annual sales, according to the county crop report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Furthermore, ag operations cover nearly half of the county\u2019s 3.8 million acres of land and support 20% of jobs in the Fresno area.<\/p>\n So, rather than indicate any withering of the ag industry, the absence of a farmer on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors speaks more to population trends.<\/p>\n In Fresno County, the last 50 years have brought increased urbanization. In 1980, for example, the combined populations of Fresno and Clovis accounted for less than half of the county population, according to census data.<\/p>\n In 2026, Fresno and Clovis make up roughly 67% of the county population as the growth of those two cities has far outstripped that in smaller cities and unincorporated areas.<\/p>\n Those changing demographics are reflected in the county supervisorial districts. Following the last redistricting in 2021, all five include a portion<\/a> of the city of Fresno.<\/p>\n Two of the supervisorial districts, District 2 and District 3, are almost entirely within the Fresno city limits. Meanwhile, Clovis voters make up 60% of the electorate in District 5, according to state data.<\/p>\n District 1 has experienced the biggest change. Urban voters residing in northwest, west and south Fresno make up roughly half of the electorate. That leaves District 4 as the only rural district \u2013 even though nearly 70% of registered voters live in the cities of Sanger, Selma, Reedley, Kingsburg, Fowler, Parlier, Orange Cove, Huron and Coalinga.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re the No. 1 ag county, but we\u2019re still considered an urban county,\u201d Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the complexities that we deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n Another factor is a willingness to run for public office. Of the 11 candidates who ran in the June primary in Districts 1 and 4<\/a>, only one \u2013 Omar Hernandez \u2013 has a farming background. And even he works as a political staffer.<\/p>\n Pacheco \u2018disappointed\u2019 by no farmers on ballot<\/p>\n This development irks Brian Pacheco, who said he is vying to become the only full-time farmer in the 80-member California State Assembly.<\/p>\n The fourth-generation dairyman said that over the years several farmers in his district indicated they would run for county supervisor in the event he stepped down or ran for state office.<\/p>\n \u201cI reached out to several of my neighbors and said, \u2018Hey, I’m strongly considering [running for State Assembly]. I need you to think about running. We really need an ag person here,\u2019 and not one of them stepped forward,\u201d Brian Pacheco said. \u201cIt was completely disappointing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMost farmers just want to farm,\u201d he added. \u201cThey don\u2019t want the public scrutiny that comes with [political office].\u201d<\/p>\n Ag-related issues don\u2019t often come before the Board of Supervisors for votes, Pacheco and Mendes said. The most frequent involve land-use decisions, pest control and the Williamson Act, a state law that lets private landowners sign voluntary 10-year rolling contracts with local governments to restrict their properties to farming or open space.<\/p>\n But county supervisors play important ag-related roles by serving on the boards of various public agencies, including Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, which were formed under California\u2019s Groundwater Sustainability Management Act (SGMA) to manage and protect groundwater basins. Also the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which impacts agriculture through incentives for cleaner-burning engines for farm equipment and regulates ag burning.<\/p>\n And when Fresno County experienced severe flooding in the spring of 2023, Mendes\u2019 extensive knowledge of waterways and irrigation canals proved invaluable.<\/p>\n \u201cCounty supervisors have a role in championing water causes,\u201d Jacobsen said. \u201cThat might not mean direct jurisdictional control, but whether it’s state or federal water issues, they can play a role in helping shepherd those issues at the local level.\u201d<\/p>\n Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes appears at a Blossom Trail event on March 7, 2015.<\/p>\n Will new supervisors be responsive to ag?<\/p>\n![\"Fresno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792798094_582_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Fresno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792798095_572_.jpeg\"\/)
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